Claremont library children’s area to be improved

CLAREMONT >> The children’s area of the Claremont Public Library will get a much-needed remodel and redecoration Sept. 3 with a big assist from the non-profit organization Friends of the Claremont Library.

“We wanted to do new furniture,” said past Friends President Laura Bollinger, who led the project. “I’ve been working with (L.A.) County for few years on the project. We asked if we could repaint, which meant pulling down the wallpaper. So while we’re moving out furniture (for the repainting), we said ‘isn’t this a good time to do the carpet? And we’re doing the carpet. We are rewiring the facility as well. And we’re doing all the furniture part of it.”

Bollinger said there would be all new furniture, study desks and computer desks but with the same shelving for books.

“There is a story board in the library that shows you the design of how we’re moving furniture,” Bollinger said. “It’s exciting. We’re spending over $100,000 on the project from the Friends’ treasury. I’m proud we have the money to do that.”

Bollinger said the Claremont Friends group was the oldest in Los Angeles County and pays for programming at the library.

The more than $100,000 donated is “above and beyond” what is normally raised for the library, Bollinger said, but it doesn’t affect in any way other money normally donated for books and other items.

Louix Escobar-Matute, regional administrator for the east region of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, said he anticipates the project will be finished by late fall, declining to name a month.

“You try to be judicious and not create expectations,” Escobar-Matute said.

Escobar-Matute said the changes will significantly improve the room.

“It will completely transform the area,” Escobar-Matute said. “It will be much more attractive, will have better carpeting, better lighting, more computers for children, increased seating and an improved access to collections.”

The library will also be endowed with a family place area where “parents can interact with their children,” Escobar-Matute said. “Parents can look at their children and act as a first teacher. The parent can say ‘this is like a baker. This is what you do at a bakery.’ And there will be a little croissant, little loafs of bread. We’ll have something that looks like a post office where you can weigh packages, buy stamps or even use the internet.”

While the children’s area is closed, there will be temporary space in the community room for children.

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“It’s a tiny, little space,” Escobar-Matute said. “But we will be providing materials for children and parents while the children’s area is closed.”

Besides the Friends’ financial contribution, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina and the county library are contributing the rest, Escobar-Matute said.

“The friends contributed about 70 percent of the project,” said Escobar-Matute said.

Current friends president Lanore Pearlman said there were issues if carpeting was going to be put down or not but the County stepped up.

“It was so important I felt,” Pearlman said. “We’ll get brand new carpeting with kids crawling around. We’ve got lots of children who make use of this site. We’re very enthusiastic about this.”

The friends group has more than 300 members “and those yearly memberships have gone a long way to fund this,” Pearlman said, as well as book sales.

The Claremont library is at 208 N. Harvard Ave.

For more information on the Friends of the Claremont Library, head to www.claremontlibrary.org/